By Yahaya Umar
Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the North East have advised President Bola Tinubu not to seek a second term with Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate or risk loosing votes from the area in the 2027 presidential election.
A cross-section of APC major stakeholders in the zone while chatting with journalists in Yola, described Shettima as a political liability to the APC and the aspirations of the president.
The APC stakeholders hinged their lack of support for the vice president on alleged selective handling of the ruling party’s affairs in the zone.
In this vein, they accused him of not carrying along other states in the North East, as he favours only Borno State in his appointments and projects for the zone.
While some accused the vice president of working at variance with the ideals and ideologies of Tinubu’s administration, others noted that he is harbouring a secret agenda against the president’s likely second term bid.
Alhaji Usman Gieri from Adamawa State expressed total bitterness that major APC chieftains that spent their resources and worked for APC and President Tinubu from Adamawa, Bauchi, Yobe, Taraba and Gombe States were denied appointments into government, while those from Borno State were given special preference.
“Please tell me how you want such stakeholders to come out with their resources and work for the party in 2027?” Gieri asked.
Another stalwart of the party from Yola, Aminu Mustapha, said the only way President Tinubu would get massive votes from the zone is to replace Shettima and bring in a more popular, vibrant and politically active running mate.
“As it is today, Shettima has no electoral value in the North East let alone other zones.
“Instead of wooing new members into APC and carrying major stakeholders along, the vice president has developed the habit of favouring only his stooges for federal appointments meant for the North East region,” he said.
A good number of APC members from the zone have decamped to other political parties due to lack of sense of belonging.
He alleged that several prominent stakeholders from the zone are victims of Shettima’s lopsided handling of the party, but are afraid of voicing out for fear of further victimisation.
“Why would the vice president select specific APC stakeholders from the zone and give them special preference above others, a situation that has forced many party loyalists to loose interest in the affairs of APC in their states,” he said.
Similarly, a chieftain of the APC in Gombe State, Alhaji Garba Tijani alleged that the vice president is marginalising other states in the zone to favour Borno, which, according to him, is part of the reasons why stakeholders of the party in the North East do not want Shettima as Vice President should Tinubu seek a second term.
In the same vein, another APC stalwart from Yobe State, Alhaji Bakura Zana added that “You will agree with me that APC loyalists in the North East are now orphans and have no one to run to because of Shettima’s attitude”, he said.
Furthermore, a stakeholder from Bauchi State, Hajia Hadiza Aliyu advised Tinubu to choose between votes from the North East and
Shettima.
“We work for our party because we expect reward, but the VP has monopolised every benefit meant for the zone to himself,” she lamented.
Her views were not different from that of a stakeholder from Southern Taraba, Jonathan Albert, who said that a good number of influential APC chieftains from the state are already decamping to other political parties because of alleged neglect by the vice president and the party. “We are fed up with APC in Taraba because our leaders who worked for the party were not considered for appointments.
“Shettima only managed to win Borno for the APC in 2023 and may lose in 2027 if Tinubu decides to keep him,” he added.
A stalwart from Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Mr Micheal Zira, also advised President Tinubu to discard Shettima for the party to get victory in 2027 presidential election.
Zira complained that Shettima’s impact as vice president has not been felt in other parts of the zone except Borno his home state.
He explained that Tinubu risks loosing the North East in 2027 because of Shettima, adding that he had become unpopular even in his zone within two and a half years in office.
According to him, there is no tangible achievement that one can say Shettima has influenced to other states other than his home state.
He challenged anyone with facts about his impact in the region, apart from Borno, to come forward and present such.
It would be recalled that during the recent zonal stakeholders meeting of the party in Gombe where Tinubu was endorsed for a second term, other states apart from Borno refused to okay Shettima for 2027.
AljazirahNigeria reports that crisis had erupted when the APC National Vice Chairman (North East), Mustapha Salihu endorsed President Tinubu for a second term without mentioning Shettima as running mate during the party’s Zonal Consultative Meeting held in Gombe, recently, but the Deputy National Chairman (North), Ali Dalori said there is no cause for alarm.
